Reviews

flow of events mostly congruent with the plot, but bad finale spoils the show

I'll start by saying that I watched Season 1, and I did enjoy it, but the disappointment manifested in the last 5 episodes or so. My memory still holds the feelings of that time, but not the specific storyline. Since Season 1 was aired two years ago, I had completely forgotten what the main case was about. So when Season 2 was starting to air, I went back and restarted S1. And just from the first ep, most of the memories of the case came rushing back! I remember why I was disappointed with S1 in the first place.

Now in S2, Do Chang is now the guardian for Eun Hye, whose father they had wrongly convicted for a murder charge in S1, whom they eventually failed to save from death row. I was really pissed about that in S1. I guess that's somewhat realistic, but being part of the audience, I want some form of satisfying closure. S1 didn't provide that.

Nothing came out of the brief attraction Ji Hyuk had with Seo Kyung in S1. That was also disappointing. While I didn't care much for the couple either, I would have been happier if something happened between the two of them. A development of a new relationship, or something. Overall, S1 had a sense of discontent hanging all over it, although the thrill of the chase made it a pretty decent drama for me.

I wasn't expecting much from S2 because of the lassitude I was feeling from S1. But as I followed episode after episode, I was quite surprised to find myself easily absorbed into the story. S2 started off rather slow, but it gave a cogent follow-up on Ji Hyuk getting a transfer back to West Incheon with the same team and same partner. While in S1 he had faced various oppositions and "attitude" from existing members in the investigation team, he had smoothly cemented his place with the team with his return in S2. Do Chang's younger sister who was a mess from her divorce back in S1, now owns a fried chicken shop, and Eun Hye who Do Chang is raising, helps with the shop.

The plot for S2 began with the serial killings of several girls, which overlapped with the battery case of a woman by a son from a rich conglomerate. It felt straightforward at first glance, but it was soon revealed that one of the girls whom police initially suspected was the serial killer's victim was not in fact, murdered by him. So, as the story steadily gains momentum, it begins to present a new problem and revelation of a new mystery that requires digging into the core of an affluent but heartless and dyfunctional conglomerate family.

Most actors and actresses are well-trained -- and I'm actually a pretty easy person when it comes to grading acting skills. I usually don't have much complaint where acting is concerned, unless it's so bad that even my great-grandmother in a stupor would have been a better actress. That rarely happens. However, I'm extremely picky about the script and storyline. As such, there's nothing to complain about the acting, which I quite enjoyed, especially Kim Hyo Jin's performance. She's an amazing actress.

I wrote this review when I was 8 episodes into the drama. I gave this an 8.0 back then, but now that I have completed all 16 episodes, it is with much regret that I have to dock the rating down to a 7.0 and rewrite my review. I find the final three episodes of S2 underwhelming and nonsensical. The new developments that transpired, which I'm sure almost everyone could see coming, were handled badly. I mean, there are still wholesome humour injected in some scenes, which I thoroughly appreciate. The humour is what I love about the vibe of The Good Detective. This drama gives me a light and pleasant feeling while following the cases, compared to a dark investigative series. But that being said, I have issues to pick with some details in the writing of this show.

Now, it is clear by Episode 13 that Cheon Sang Woo was not the actual killer of Jung Hee Joo. Sang Woo, having been sentenced to 15 years for soliciting Hee Joo's murder, was suddenly deemed "innocent" and freed. This is where I have a big glaring issue with the writing. He's not at all innocent. He did order the killing, and although his solicitation of murder by hiring Ki Dong Jae to murder Hee Joo did not directly result in her death, he was nevertheless still very much guilty of hiring Dong Jae as a contract killer. This is just common sense, and a law in many countries. South Korea is not an exception. According to Statutes of the Republic of Korea (aka South Korean Criminal Law) under Chapter 24, Crimes of Homicide, which covers Article 255 in Preparations and Conspiracies, it was explicitly stated that, "A person who makes preparations or conspires with intent to commit the crimes of Articles 250 through 253, shall be punished by imprisonment with labor for not more than ten years." Articles 250 through 253 include Murder and Murder Upon Request. All these can be found on the Korea Legislation Research Institute website.

Even if Jung Hee Joo did not die by the hand of another person, it was still very much assured that she would be killed by the assassin Cheon Sang Woo has dispatched, aka Ki Dong Jae. So why should Sang Woo go free?!?? It doesn't make a shred of sense. Why would you release someone who had been proven to hire a killer with the intent to take another person's life!? The whole retrial bugged the shit out of me. Why would you need a retrial? No retrial should have been needed, Sang Woo is a scumbag who contracted a killer, he violated a law with the intent to take the life of another human being. He should have stayed in jail. The part where Kang Do Chang and Oh Ji Hyuk requested for Cheon Sung Dae's cooperation with their investigation was unnecessary, and looked really silly at execution. What was the point of Cheon Sung Dae asking for the help of 50 other old men at a villa dinner again? That bit was preposterous. It went nowhere.

Choi Yoon Geum committed a range of crimes. He accepted money to cover up a murder. Why was he free and walking about in Episode 15 and 16??! It was utterly ridiculous. All of these people have been caught red-handed on tape yet they are all released. Lmao. Hello? They were all involved in conspiracy to murder a poor girl. Again, even if she didn't die by Cheon Na Na 's hands, Cheon Sang Woo would still have her killed. He showed no remorse whatsoever even after he was caught hiring a killer on tape, was sent to trial, and put in prison. He acted like his own psychopathic self from start to finish. The final 3 episodes made zero sense.

Dude I really, really enjoyed this drama for 13 episodes and then this whole dumb "retrial, release Cheon Sang Woo" garbage happened. Ugh. Another issue that I have is the writer's treatment of female characters like Moon Bo Kyung. Girl was introduced as a mess in S2, but she grew as a character over time and honestly I have grown to love her too. She has a crush on Oh Ji Hyuk and how did the writer give her closure? Nothing. Space silence.

The really big plus about S2 of The Good Detective is that there are plenty of comedy and camaderie spirit abound compared to S1, and I personally feel it that way because I actually ran a concurrent rewatch of S1 up to Ep 7. Really, S1 wasn't terrible, but I'm ambivalent about it. S2 is definitely the better season for me, and that is very rarely the case with sequels. It almost never happens. Honestly, S2 would have been such an awesome sequel, had it not been for the disappointment in the finale.

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The charm lies in the unique characters.

How I would describe the show: an unusual take on a typical romantic comedy. For starters, this show does not really have any leading plot line - there is no mystery to solve, as it often happens in rom-coms. It’s all about the characters, their relationships and them dealing with their current situation.

I do believe the characters are the best part of the show. They all have unique personalities with individual outlooks in life, personal dreams, motivations and values. Each and every one of them reacts differently to the given situations. That said, while watching their current self is fun, by the end of the show... I didn't really know that much about some of the main ones. All of the main characters have a really complex and deep set up, with many struggles happening in the past. Even the majority of the supporting roles are written in that way - they are supposed to convey some kind of serious issues and dilemmas. And while said setups, as the concepts, are as deep as the Mariana Trench, practically speaking, they were never fully explored and I didn't even get my head underwater while watching.

The show shines with the cast and their interactions. We've got a whole set of puppy-like male characters that are nice, polite, cute and understanding. On the other hand, we have strong, driven and outspoken female characters. The synergy was pure perfection. This led to many unexpected and extremely hilarious scenes. I just could not predict how the characters would react and behave. The comedy in this show has been just so fresh and fun, I could not stop laughing while watching some scenes.

While I honestly thought the main couple was amazingly adorable and enjoyed basically everything they presented, I didn't get as excited for the second one. Mostly I just felt bad for Young Hwa while watching his interactions with Dan Ah (especially at the beginning). Later, the lines delivered for their scenes became painfully corny and cliche...

The acting was on the top level. Im Shi Wan did an outstanding job portraying Seon Gyeom. The socially awkward and at times distant characters that mostly keep to themselves are extremely hard to present well - bad acting leads to the character looking robotic, boring and empty. Shi Wan, though, delivered the best performance I could imagine for this role. I cannot think of any actor or actress that was awkward or unpolished in their roles and portrayals. Top notch casting for sure.

The production value was good. The scenes were shot in an amazing way, as I would say: aesthetics on point. The unexpected turns in how the scenes were written were perfectly reflected by how they were filmed. I just felt a harmony between what the writer wanted to tell and the director wanted to show.

The OST was fine, fitting the show and scenes, but not that memorable? Only two songs truly caught my attention - “I Wish It Was You” and “Sorry”, taking the crowns as the best songs from the drama for me.

Overall, I enjoyed the show for its entertainment value, unique characters, funny twists and fresh, out of the box directing of certain scenes and plot lines. I wish they introduced less serious and complex backgrounds for the characters, focused on just a few and truly dive deeper into them. For me, having just 4 or 5 scenes in the whole show to address something is not enough.

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It was overall a cute drama, but I can't say neither I loved it or I hated it, and I think this is worse, because it's ought to be forgotten (by me at least). I'm not an exo fan (please don't kill me xD) so it was a little more difficult to watch, because I didn't have the fangirl motivation here xD
Someone said is a shopping king Louis in joseon and...well that's where the problem lies. Everything, like every trope of this drama it's already seen and already done. The similarities with skl are many, but also with like every period drama I have seen. (Speaking of which: there is a saeguk not focused on the royal family? Or at least not only, like there's nothing else to write about that period??) There's no suspance, no really twists in the story or mysteries - we all knew that the assassin brother was the father of the queen's baby. Even the death of the evil vice minister was unsatisfying...well the whole plotting against the crown was too bland and boring.
Also! There was the "solution agency" which was an interesting thing, but they drop it pretty soon only to bring it back at the end just to feign ignorance about the fact they forgot about it lol

Ps. My extremely unpopular opinion: I had the second lead syndrome... I felt much more chemistry between Hong Shim and the magistrate...maybe because I liked more his characterization or to me he has better acting skills (not saying the ml sucked...I just preferred the sm) when he almost proposed at the end I hoped they would've take the "realism" route and have the prince marry a noblewoman (ugh bitter isn't it?) and let them become a couple.

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Mixed emotions on this one

I had high expectations but the length (at least 1/3 too much) and the biological/physical nonsense heavily damaged watching this series.
I liked the idea of discussing the future of water, which covers most of the world today, makes up most of the human body, and was even understood as a principle in the formation of the universe in early Greek philosophy, and is threatened by human activities. I liked the experiment on the goldfish. I liked the clashes of interests regarding the mission on the Moon.
In my eyes, showing how lunar water had been identified, then mined, leading to the establishment of the base, would have improved the production.
The problems now.
The plot is meaningless as - even accepting the biological impossibilities presented - the company interested in putting its paws on the resources in the base could have just sent its own craft and crew. There was no need to infiltrate the space agency mission.
The plot is - separately - meaningless because of the many impossibilities presented:
1. One can't see a virus using the microscope used,
2. and can't even see a bacterium unless one prepares the bacterium by first staining it.
3. Genetic modifications in one biosystem cannot become antibodies in another one.
4. The girl would have died of starvation,
5. and if she had exited the base, would have immediately frozen to death and be without breath.
6. Water cannot replicate as reported.
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
The writer(s) should have consulted KAIST and/or some other group/institute to mitigate the nonsense in the series. Bae Doona could have done chromatography on the water, investigated the plants, worked under hoods, irradiated/autoclaved stuff, and she would have realized if liquid water exists inside the base, parts thereof would exist as water vapor and thus cause the same effects as the liquid, ...
Now "The Silent Sea" will negatively affect me watching "Stranger 3" (if it comes out), since Bae Doona would have the leading female role (like in "Stranger" and "Stranger 2").

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A Vampire Romance That Sinks Its Teeth In Deep!

I just finished all 12 episodes of My Golden Blood , and I have to say it was such an entertaining and memorable ride. I gave it a solid 9/10 for its unique concept, strong chemistry between the leads, and a fresh take on the supernatural BL genre.

What I Loved:
All the NC scenes were hot and steamy. Mark (Joss) and Tong (Fluke) had amazing chemistry, and every kiss and intimate moment was filled with tension and passion. 🔥

Both actors were not only talented but also tall, handsome, and visually stunning. Their screen presence was incredible.
I loved the English OST, it was emotional, catchy, and perfectly placed.

The university campus setting was probably the most modern and high-tech I’ve seen in any Thai BL. It really added to the production value.

Room for Improvement:
The ending felt a little rushed. I wish they had spent more time wrapping things up emotionally.

Some of the fight scenes were a bit underwhelming compared to Korean or Western productions and could’ve used more impact and polish.

I was really hoping Tong would turn into a vampire after Mark bit him, and then they’d have a passionate love scene. That didn’t happen, but I’m still hoping for a special episode.

Final Thoughts:
Despite a few minor flaws, My Golden Blood really impressed me. It blends romance, fantasy, and suspense in a way that feels fresh and addictive. With sizzling chemistry, striking visuals, and a touch of mystery, it’s definitely one of my top BLs of 2025 so far.

Rating: ⭐ 9/10
Rewatch Value: Yes! Especially for the chemistry and romantic moments.

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Thame & Po were the draw for me (watch suggestions)

Overall: because the title had the two lead characters' names in it, I had assumed that the focus would be on them. Unfortunately, a lot of time was spent on love rival/business drama. For example, in the finale, Thame & Po had about 16 minutes of screentime together (some of which was in a group setting) out of 50 minutes. 13 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GMMTV's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI6eWPdbwhJyylqwlR63KrTz&si=cyrNicpZBAKiWPWl as well as Netflix

Content Warning: punch, manipulation, cyberbullying

Watch Suggestions (to focus on Thame and Po)
- watch episodes 1-3
- episode 4 part 2 watch 4:30-6, and watch part 4
- episode 5 part 1 watch to 10:30 (or can watch all), part 4 skip 4:30-10 unless you enjoy group singing and more group time
- episode 6 part 1 watch beginning to 6, part 2 watch 5-end, part 4 watch 7:30-end
- episode 7 watch all of part 1, part 3 watch 3:20-5:20 and 8-10, part 4 watch 8-end
- episode 8 watch part 1 beginning to 3:45 and part 4 5:40-end
- watch episode 9
- episode 10 watch part 1 beginning-5:40 and 13:30-end, part 2 watch 5:10-7:35, part 4 watch 11:40-end
- episode 11 watch part 1 2:30-10:15, part 2 2-6:30 (and then skip the rest unless you enjoy angst)
- episode 12 part 4 watch 8:25-end (unless you enjoy angst/making plans)
- episode 13 watch part 2 0-1:10 (unless you enjoy making plans/performances), part 3 6:20-end and all of part 4

What I Liked
- the set up was woven in well (with the interview and information about the band) instead of a blatant exposition dump
- Po's supportive friend
- how both Po's and Thame's past experiences shaped their current views of the situation
- liked getting to know one another in episode 4 over the phone
- how Nano put the tent together really easily and his facial expressions/reactions
- caring moments
- intimacy
- showing the stresses of being a celebrity
- some of the kisses were not dead fish lip presses
- production value/music (the lack of "comedy" sound effects is nice)

Room For Improvement
- the love rival had way too much screentime which could have gone to sweet Thame & Po moments
- too much with the other bandmates, wanted more interaction with Thame & Po
- the "I can explain" but doesn't explain/other person doesn't wait for an explanation
- gulp sound effect
- the interruption and then felt a bit sudden when they entered Po's apartment
- that Po didn't get rid of that stuff until he was forced to
- nonsense stuff i.e. phone battery lasting 10+ hours, not being on the down low in public (not wearing a mask and holding hands in public), a character was an antagonist and then in the finale had a sudden change of heart
- two dead fish lip presses and the angles/drawn out time made it worse
- the ex was wasted screentime, overall this could have been tight 8 episodes focused on Thame and Po

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It's difficult to rate this "movie" because it's not really a movie in the traditional sense of the word. Rather it's a compilation of short films which explore the theme of erotic love. Two of the stories are very loosely related whilst the other 3 are independent of each other.

Some stories were better than others in both content and acting ability. The first two were quite enjoyable and philosophical. They asked deep, thought-provoking questions that I pondered appreciatively.

My favourite of all 5 was the 2nd story. Very poignant, but also a very sweet manifestation of (erotic) love.

The 3rd and 4th stories were a bit bizarre. Think murderous wives, blood sucking vampires and lesbian loving. I liked the 3rd story the least. Though darkly comedic in parts, I found it boring and uninspired in others. The theme of Eros was not very well conveyed, in my opinion, and the acting was off.

The 5th and final story about partner swapping could have been interesting, but the narrative was somewhat nonlinear, making it difficult to keep track of who was really boyfriend/girlfriend with who.

If I had to rate each story individually:

Story 1: 9
Story 2: 10
Story 3: 3
Story 4: 5
Story 5: 6

The average comes out to about 7 so that's my overall score for this anthology. I enjoyed it while it lasted. This movie is suitable for mature audiences, but nothing about it felt gratuitous. In fact a lot of the sexual encounters were pretty PG. I'd say it's a good date movie to watch with your long term partner, if you have one.

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Don't get fooled by +ve YT comments/reviews

Read at your own risk because I am about to be rude and realistic :
This series is a waste of time no matter how much you try to defend it. No this is not a mature BL drama. This is not how slow-burn works. Some fujoshis have quite a low bar ughh. Also, please DO NOT compare this to Eclipse which was a MASTERPIECE.
Don't get fooled by reading positive reviews. Skip it if you are not fond of the plain plot.
The only positive things are : Chot's dialogues and Jaab's charismatic looks. Apart from that, Khun jeng was pretty hot.
Nothing happens in the first 7/8 episodes and suddenly everything happens in the last few ones.
Very boring side characters and the main character with basic storylines.
What was more frustrating was Pat. His weird lip movements were straight-up irritating. His indecisiveness and drama weren't cute or mature. He bored me to death.

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This drama is great. Go and watch it.



That's pretty much all you need to know

(But that would be a lame ass review ^.^)



I read about this drama and how fast it won on popularity.

And I just wondered how could a 30 episode-story about bread-making be interesting?

But I started it anyway. Even though the first couple episodes are set in the past

and were meant for information build-up,

I think those were needed to give depth to the following episodes.

This drama made me laugh. cry. angry, then laugh again and most of all: It kept me interested. Love and intrigues. The story moves along and progresses constantly. The actors are all very good (AND very good-looking.) ^.^

You can feel the struggle the characters have in the story and feel with them.

Also the music was good.

I even caught myself humming the tunes to it at work.

(Unfortunately I dont understand/speak korean. YET ^_^) haha.

Hoped that helped, and you are now convinced to go and watch it.

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I will never forget you FADELSTYLE

I absolutely love this series — it has become my new comfort BL show. I'm a big fan of FirstKhao and JoongDunk, but in this series, JoongDunk as Fadel and Style totally stole the spotlight. The chemistry, the kisses — Fadel is incredibly romantic, and although Style seemed like a clown at first, he's actually a really sweet guy with a strong sense of emotional responsibility.

I adore the love scenes — they're not overly sexualized, just natural moments you'd expect from any couple.
And the soundtrack! The use of Western songs is truly a gem.

Thank you so much — I’ll definitely be looking forward to more for Joong and Dunk.

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Not up to my standards softcore fetish porn disguised unsuccessfully as mafia drama

This drama could be used as proof that the Halo effect is very real and powerful (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_effect). The plot was full of holes, every relationship was utterly toxic and the mafia element existed for the coolness factor without actually being utilized.


What carried the entire show was the careful selection of handsome men as the main cast. NOTHING ELSE. If the same things were done or said by ugly men, the show would have flopped 100%. Kinn exploits Porsche knowing his desperate financial position, rapes him, has zero trust towards him and becomes abusive even under suspicion that Porsche has been unfaithful (bathroom scene with Vegas is a good example). Kinn-Chay are a textbook grooming case, where an idol manipulates their fan who happens to be a minor (disturbing and disgusting). I won't even start with serial rapist, bipolar, psychopath Vegas who ''changes'' under the magical influence of his kidnapped/raped/tortured victim Pete (who has Stockholm syndrome). It is clear that the people writing such nonsense have zero understanding of psychiatry because they romanticize rape and abuse and no, psychopaths don't change and you can't ''save'' them with your love.

As if all that mess wasn't enough, towards the end, there is an incest element added with Porsche's mother being the adoptive sister of Kinn's father. This reminds me a lot of a third rate heterosexual lakorn plot and not of the pioneering, ground breaking BL that they claim to be. It was also extremely unecessary.

There is way too much comedy and fluffy scenes that come semi-randomly and don't match the show's supposedly mafia atmosphere and other cringe moments, for example Vegas speaking English at random times. What's up with that nonsense? I would understand if his character was a foreigner or something, but nothing is explained and it's honestly annoying.

It is clear at this point, that the producers know that the BL market is full of hypocritical people who pretend to want to watch dramas, but in reality just want to watch gay fetish porn, otherwise there would not have been so much emphasizing on sex scenes and so much less on the actual plot. A lot of the couples have nothing in common besides sex (with Kinn-Porsche being the best example of incompatible toxic couple who ends up having sex after every argument that was never properly resolved). Often it felt like different people direct different episodes, with the first one being much better and more serious than the nonsense comedy second one. All over the place production is an understatement.

The acting was decent, the music was decent, the scenery was decent, but the overall result is not up to my standards and it's the fault of the producers and the creepy authors (I have read the book and it's an abomination worship and romanticizing of murder and rape, way worse than the series).

If you don't believe me, go on tumblr and twitter and see how many people are talking about the plot (literally nobody unless they refer to sex scenes) and how many are worshipping the actors similar to kpop stans and other disturbed celebrity cult followings (you will be seeing comments like ''you can torture me anytime Bible, step on my neck Kinn and other products of the sexual frustration of individuals in need of help).

Would not rewatch.

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